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On this day in 1971, the Pittsburgh Pirates fielded the first all-black and Latino lineup

Pittsburgh Pirates Al Oliver (center) is grabbed by teammates Willie Stargell (left) and Roberto Clemente (right) after his three-run-homer which gave the Pirates a 9-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants and the National League Pennant. Getty Images

Although the normal Pittsburgh Pirates starting lineup that year was usually filled with players of color, it had never been entirely made up of men of color until Sept. 1. Normal starters Richie Hebner (third base) and Gene Alley (shortstop) were both nursing injuries, which allowed Dave Cash and Jackie Hernandez to fill in.

“The Pirates were known for their black and Latin players, and of course on that particular team, we were loaded,” former Pirate Al Oliver told MLB.com. “I don’t know how many we had on the 1971 team, but if I had to guess, maybe 11 or 12 black and Latin players. As a rule, we would start five – if Dock pitched, then it would be six.”

“It really wasn’t a major thing, until around the third or fourth inning, and Dave Cash was sitting next to me, and one of us said: ‘You know, we got all brothers out there, man,’ and we kind of chuckled because it was no big deal to us,” Oliver continued. “We really had no idea that history was being made.”

That day’s lineup included three future Hall of Famers – Stargell, Clemente and Bill Mazeroski – including All-Stars in catcher Sanguillen and pitcher Ellis. Combined, the roster was composed of 14 whites, six African-Americans and seven Latinos.

“I wish that it would be brought up more, and it should be,” Oliver told Fox Sports. “It wasn’t maybe as big as Jackie Robinson breaking into the major leagues [in 1947], but it should be up there as far as baseball history is concerned. I think it’s a day that really should be celebrated.”

Ryan Cortes is a staff writer for The Undefeated. Lemon pepper his wings.